Thrilling battle in Tallinn

Host Estonia earns promotion in U18 Division IIB

Estonia offered Spain a tough battle and won the game with the high margin it needed to earn first place in the tournament.

TALLINN – Host Estonia won the 2014 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Division II Group B on home ice in its capital of Tallinn to immediately return to the tier above.

It was a tight clash in the end with Estonia, Serbia and Spain having a 4-1 record and 12 points each after Estonia’s 6-1 victory over Spain in the last game. Thus the tie-breaking rules had to decide for the medals with the head-to-head records. All teams won one game each against the other opponents but Estonia did it with the highest goal difference (9-5) in the head-to-head games mainly thanks to the 6-1 win in the last match of the tournament. Spain and Serbia both had a 5-7 goal record and Spain earned the silver medal thanks to the 4-1 victory over Serbia in the head-to-head game between these two teams.

Estonia earned the crucial win against Spain thanks to its efficiency and despite being outshot 51-27 by Spain in the deciding game. Goalkeeper Daniil Seppenen had a strong showing with 50 saves and throughout the tournament he finished with a 92.41 save percentage.

Vadim Vasjonkin and Vladimir Nestertsuk posed the biggest offensive threat on the Estonian team with five goals apiece. Uros Bjelogrlic from Serbia had most points (12) while Spain’s Ander Arrinda scored most goals (6) in the tournament.

Belgium finished the tournament in fourth place before China and Iceland, which is relegated to Division III.